Dear Dad,

Remember when I came by the ICU to see you? Steve said that even though you were in a coma that you could still hear me. I didn’t know what to say, so I went to the one thing you and I could always talk about – the Buffalo Bills.

I told you how they just hired a new coach, that even though it was his first time as a head coach that I had a good feeling about him.

Somewhere in that talk of football, you looked me in the eye and I knew that you knew I was there.

I wish you were still around to see the good Coach McDermott has done, I think you’d like the changes he has brought, the new mentality, the group of no-names stepping up and making the plays. I know you’d still be cynical after so many years of bad seasons, but you’d be finding less to complain about.

I miss our in game texts discussing the plays…even if it was to kivetch about yet another flag. Although this year, there’s a lot less of those – unless Ed Houlouchi is officiating, of course.

You know, there were a lot of times it was tough loving you and hard to get along, but the last few years even though you moved across the country I felt were some of the best we had. I enjoyed talking with you again. Even though you didn’t stay as long in this words as you should have, when you left I can say we were on great terms. Not too many families can say that. There were a lot of times that I did not like you, but I always loved you.

I wish I could talk to you about the upcoming game. I miss you.